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Mock Draft Simulator 2026 NFL Draft Big Board Big Board Builder NCAA Premium Stats SubscribeWe've already examined the 2025 Patriots and Seahawks offenses to see how they stack up with the other 18 Super Bowl participants of the past decade. Now, we're turning to the defenses.
Both units are among the NFL's best, separated by the smallest of margins. The Patriots rank second best in EPA allowed per play (-0.128), and the Seahawks rank third best (-0.127). The units also place second and third, respectively, among the 20 Super Bowl teams of the past decade. Only the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles, who allowed -0.129 EPA per play, beat them out.
As a result, both teams could end the season with the most efficient defense of any Super Bowl-participating team over the past decade by putting together a strong performance in Super Bowl 60 on Sunday.
When looking at success rate, which is impacted less by big plays, we get a relatively different picture.
Seattle’s 40.0% success rate allowed ranks third in 2025, while the Patriots’ 43.2% success clip ranks 13th. That puts New England in 11th among the 20 teams that participated in the past 10 Super Bowls, and the Seahawks take the top spot, giving them a case for having the best defense among the teams that have made the Super Bowl since 2016.
We see similar tendencies when examining just pass plays. The 2025 Patriots boast the best defensive efficiency on pass plays among the cohort. They have allowed a mere -0.135 EPA per pass play, the second-best rate in the NFL in 2025. They were one of 13 teams to surrender negative EPA on pass plays, and they lead all Super Bowl participants of the past decade. Seattle’s passing defense ranks fifth in 2025 (-0.090) and also fifth among the 20-team group.
The Patriots and Seahawks swap places when looking at defensive success rate on pass plays. Whereas Seattle’s 42.9% clip ranks third this season, New England’s 44.4% clip places ninth. Seattle slots into fifth among the 20 teams, while the Patriots rank seventh. The pack is led by the 2022 Philadelphia Eagles and the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs, whose defenses logged 42.2% success rates on pass plays.
We'll round things out with the ground game. Seattle’s -0.196 EPA allowed per run play in 2025 leads the league and also paces all 20 teams that have made the Super Bowl since 2016. The Patriots rank ninth both in 2025 and among the Super Bowl teams of the past decade (-0.114).
The Seahawks hold the top spot in 2025 with a 34.4% success rate allowed on run plays, but they fall behind the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles' defense (33.8%) among the past 20 Super Bowl teams. New England’s 41.1% success rate allowed on run plays ranks just 21st in in 2025 and 14th among the cohort.
Read More Stories Explore PFF Tools 12 min read Quick Read We examine both team's attacks through EPA per play and success rate and then compare those numbers to the other 18 Super Bowl participants of the past decade. Super Bowl 60: How do the Patriots' and Seahawks' offenses compare to recent contenders? By Zoltán Buday 17 min read Quick Read Daire Carragher details the schematic keys for the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks that could decide Super Bowl 60. Super Bowl 60: Schematic keys for each team that could decide the game By Daire Carragher 18 min read Quick Read Bradley Locker breaks down three keys that the Seahawks and Patriots will look to accomplish to win Super Bowl 60. Super Bowl 60: Keys to victory for Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots By Bradley Locker Try the tool Mock Draft Simulator Make picks, trade up, and run your own draft in minutes. Build your board Big Board Builder Create custom rankings with Scouting Mode at the core. More Coverage Mock Draft Simulator Be the GM for any team in the 2026 NFL Draft with a fully immersive simulation that lets you trade picks and players for a realistic, in-depth draft experience. 2026 NFL Draft Big Board Trevor Sikkema’s personal rankings, complete with three-year player grades, position rankings and in-depth scouting reports for the top prospects in the class. Big Board Builder Create your own customized draft rankings, with Scouting Mode at its core — a fully customizable grading system that puts the entire evaluation process in your hands. NCAA Premium Stats Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data.When we dove into both offenses, it became clear that they didn't hold up well to their Super Bowl counterparts. But defenses win championships, as they say, and the Patriots and Seahawks will bring two of the NFL's best into Super Bowl 60.